F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin is a first-person shooter with survival horror elements. The game tells another side of F.E.A.R's story, putting you into the role of Michael Becket, a special forces soldier assigned to retrieve Armacham Technology Corporation (ATC) president Genevieve Aristide, a character whose voice appears in the first game but who never actually appears. As the mission progresses, Becket learns more about his own past and his connection to Armacham.

In addition to the usual FPS tools, Becket has a variety of close-quarters martial-arts attacks at his disposal. You can also initiate a slowed-down mode that allows you to use Becket's fast reflexes to manoeuvre your way around enemies and pull off stylish kills. New features of the system include the ability to move objects in order to provide cover for yourself. Enemy troops will do the same, ducking behind ruins and even moving terrain features to protect themselves from your fire. Clever enemy AI was one of the most popular features of the first F.E.A.R game, and it's in equal evidence here. However, player movement has been slightly simplified.

In addition to normal weapons, Becket can also jump into a suit of mechanical powered armour for some parts of the game. Although these sequences do add much-needed variety to F.E.A.R 2's combat, they don't feel fully developed -- a trait common to vehicle sections in FPS games.

Unlike the gritty, militaristic atmosphere of most shooters, Project Origin draws on Asian horror cinema to create an eerie, haunting world full of uncanny menace. Like many game design choices that were innovative when they first appeared, this loses some of its impact now due to familiarity with the game series. Nonetheless, it's still an effective technique and a welcome change from the usual rah-rah attitude.

F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin isn't for everyone. The storyline may be confusing for people who haven't played (or at least read up on) the first game, but unlike a lot of shooter storylines it shouldn't simply be ignored. Flawed in some ways it may be, but Project Origin is definitely still worth checking out if you're looking for something a little different from the usual shooter, both in gameplay and in plot.